Tea party
by Marenke
Summary: In the honestly too long list of things Daphne hated, those tea parties that worked only as gossip mills were probably on first place, but maybe that high of a place for them was because Daphne was currently suffering under one of those.


**Inktober prompt day 30: catch.**

* * *

In the honestly too long list of things Daphne hated, those tea parties that worked only as gossip mills were probably on first place, but maybe that high of a place for them was because Daphne was currently suffering under one of those, a headache bubbling just beneath the surface of her mind as she drank her burnt tea. Why she had accepted that invite, anyway…? She could've been in her room, reading her collection of Muggle novellas, but no - instead, she was forced to spend her Sunday on a tiny, cramped room in Susan Bones' manor.

"... And Lord Potter - you know who he is, _the_ youngest Lord Potter in a century and a half? - is single, so I've heard!" Said Susan, giggling over her cup of tea like a brainless chit, hair done in elaborate blonde braids, pulling at the skin of her forehead and creating an amazing tent effect.

Daphne wasn't sure why they were gossiping about her husband-to-be, but that was okay. She loved playing clueless and daft; it helped gather better information if people thought she wasn't able to understand what was being spoken about.

"We all know who Lord Potter is." These parties, Daphne decided, were an exercise on futility; she might as well engage, putting her tea away on the table. "Go to the news, Bones."

Susan huffed, an eye roll that was clearly directed at Daphne being shown to her friend, the Abbott girl whose name was unremarkable. Anna? Lana? Susannah? She remembered that it ended on an open A sound, but not much more.

Why was Daphne drinking tea with these Hufflepuffs, again?

"Well, like I was about to say, he's single, you know?" Dully wrong, but Daphne did not deign herself with correcting. "And I've heard that he absolutely loathes his fiancée-to-be, whoever she is, so maybe we can swoop in and steal him!"

Doubtful. Harry had already promised to not betray her.

"He is such a catch, after all." Nora (no, that wasn't right…) said, smiling too nicely and much more like a snake than whatever a badger was. "Half the society ladies are just going to gobble him up if he stays single much longer."

Daphne made a mental note to marry Harry as soon as possible.

"You're right!" Finally chirped in Morag, clasping her hands together, a dazzling smile on her face. Daphne wasn't sure why Morag was so happy about it; they were cousins, after all, and as such, Morag was bound to know what Daphne also did, but didn't tell because this was better than feeding a gossip mill. "We can totally steal him from his fiancée, and then all get cursed because they're contract-bound to marry! Unless…"

Morag leaned in, conspiratorially; Daphne also did, just like the other two, and she wondered why hadn't Morag ended up in Slytherin.

"Unless you want to end up as _concubines…_?" Morag finished her sentence, grabbing her cup of tea once more, and Susan and… Leah's?... scandalized faces was too funny to not crack up laughing.

Daphne faked a coughing fit, and the eyes of the two Hufflepuffs went to her.

"I'm sorry, it seems my illness has caught up to me." Daphne lied, and Morag nodded, sagely.

"Ah, yes. Your _illness_." Biting commentary from the peanut gallery, Morag murmuring over her tea. Very rude, but Daphne would let it slide. "Do you want company to your home?"

She shook her head, watching Hannah (didn't sound right) and Susan's slow reactions over tea. If everything went to plan, Harry would hear about this by tomorrow.

"No, thank you. I can take the floo on my own… For now." Yes, the dramatics of it all was a necessary part. A gasp, badly disguised, came from Susan. Daphne gave them a smile and retired from the tearoom.

* * *

"Daphne, I've heard the news. Are you sick?" Harry asked, frowning, popping up from underneath the invisibility cape. Daphne, who was sprawled on a couch reading a book, didn't bother to rise her eyes. The Slytherin Common Room was empty, anyway, and since it was roughly two in the morning, she very much doubted anyone would come to bother her. "Er, before you ask, I've heard it from Lavender Brown."

"So that's who Susan Bones is friends with…" Daphne replied, closing her book and smiling. "We should get married soon."

Harry made a confused face, getting off underneath the cape.

"Okay, I'm not opposed to that, but why?" He sat by her side, grabbing Daphne's hands gently. Daphne smiled at him, gently pecking his lips, magic bubbling under the surface - the contract, tightening its bonds.

"Let's just say that there are snakes in places other than Slytherin." She replied, and Harry offered her a confused look. It wasn't for him to understand, anyway.


End file.
